Crash
by Safaia
Summary: Arthur refuses to let anything hurt Ariadne. He is her white knight that comes to her rescue whether she needs to be or not.


**Crash**

When the plane landed in LA, Ariadne nearly burst out laughing when Arthur asked her out to dinner at the exact moment that she asked him the same question. It made her smile while he shook his head and put a hand on her back to lead her out of the airport. From there it was hardly glamorous for either of them. After a wonderful dinner and far too much wine that brought them back to his hotel room unable to keep their hands off of each other, it was not until the sun came up that Ariadne actually thought about what she wanted. She turned and stared at Arthur, his hair a mess from the previous night and his eyes intense with some emotion that she could not place.

"What are we going to do now?" Ariadne asked and Arthur creased his eyebrows deep in thought as she often saw him do when he was weighing the odds of something important.

"You should go back to Paris and finish your degree," he said finally and Ariadne felt a lump form in her throat. This was not what she expected him to say. She had expected Arthur to tell her that they should take some time off and look for a job. She had expected him to say that they should not take time off and look for a job. Ariadne felt like a fool for having any expectations at all; for all she knew this was just about sex for him. Just as she had convinced herself that this was a one time fling Arthur put his hand on her cheek. She look up and met his dark brown eyes. "I'm going to take some jobs but I'm going to come to Paris every second that I can."

"Do you mean that?" Ariadne asked and he nodded. She grinned and pulled Arthur into her arms. He ran a finger down her cheek before he kissed her. She held him close and they spent the day in bed together.

The inception job had set her back a full semester from finishing her masters but it did not bother her as much as she thought it would. Miles was glad to see her and put her in touch with Cobb. He was doing great, as she expected, but it was still nice to hear it from the extractor himself. Ariadne promised to visit someday and he insisted that she keep him in the loop of her day to day life. It was very protective of him but she was not entirely surprised. Cobb was a father first and no matter what happened, he was going to protect those around him with his life. It made her happy to know that someone was looking out for her in that way again after her own father had passed away when she was so young. There was someone back in the states that she could rely on again and that was reassuring.

Ariadne was surprised that she was able to focus at all when classes started up again. She had thought that she would have trouble readjusting to the real world but her desire to learn was just as strong as ever. Logically, Arthur told her over the phone one night just before classes started when she expressed her worries about it being mundane, she could not become a better architect in the dreamworld if she did not learn everything she could in this one. He was right, naturally, and it made the transition all the easier. When asked to sketch a building it did not bother Ariadne that it was on paper and that the physics made sense. There was nothing like the dreamworld, she was sure of that, but that did not make the real world any less interesting by default. Miles seemed relieved by this as well and encouraged her to push her boundaries.

Arthur lived up to his promise and visited often. He would appear out of nowhere at the strangest times. Once he was waiting outside her classroom. Another time he was sitting at the exact table she planned to sit at in a nearby cafe. Yet another time Ariadne found him sitting on her couch in her locked apartment as if he owned the place. After giving him a stern scolding for breaking and entering she hugged him tight and had a second key made. There were times he would stay for a few days or sometimes just a few hours between flights but he always seemed to make the most of their time. It was hardly surprising to Ariadne that Arthur was a romantic but even she had to chuckle when he did something completely cheesy or cliché. They went for walks and he would hold her hand, they went to dinner and he would pull out her chair for her, they cuddled on the couch and he would kiss her hair, and they explored whatever section of the city she wanted. She was never sad to see him go though because she knew he would be back sooner than later.

Eames showed up for her graduation. Arthur mentioned he had worked with the forger every now and then and that he was the same as ever. When Ariadne asked if they still flirted shamelessly he scoffed and she laughed out loud. Cobb was there with Miles and the kids, whom she had now met and adored, and she blinked back surprise when she saw Eames leaning against a wall amongst the crowd before the ceremony. He gave her a half wave and she did not hesitate to hug him tightly when he came over to congratulate her. The first thing he asked was if Arthur had shown up yet. Ariadne shrugged and said that she did not know. It really did not bother her if he did not make the ceremony because sometimes things just did not work out that way. That did not make her smile any less when she saw him in the crowd. They embraced tightly and everyone went out to dinner together.

It was late that night when she had her arms around him that Arthur asked what she wanted to do now. Ariadne pretended to think about it for only a moment before she looked up and smiled at him. "I want to do the impossible with you," she said and he smiled before they kissed again. She knew he was thankful that she had not opted to teach or do something else but she also knew that he would never admit it either. She was ready to enter that world again and was thrilled to have him on her arm while she did so. They spent the rest of the week in Paris as she cleaned out her apartment of perishables, paid all of her bills and walked hand in hand into the airport to their first job.

"Looks like this one could be interesting," Arthur said as he looked over a file nearly six months after they went back into the business together.

"How so?" Ariadne asked as she looked up from the book she was reading. They were in Krakow, Poland, at the time and enjoying the sights between jobs. They had rented a house this time and she was in the small family room on a couch while Arthur was sitting at a desk hunched over work as usual. "Am I going to have to get very creative for this level?"

"It's not the dream that is going to be the interesting part; it's the mark," he said and now she was confused.

"What are you talking about?" Ariadne asked and Arthur looked up. Usually there was a sense of mischievousness in his eyes when it came to jobs that were deemed 'interesting' but this time it was different; he looked worried. "Arthur, what's wrong?"

"The potential for real world retaliation is higher with this one than normal," Arthur said as he walked across the room and sat next to her. "It just makes me nervous when there is a chance for that." Ariadne moved so she was next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't know if I could forgive myself if you got hurt."

"People get hurt, Arthur. It's not something that can be avoided and even more so considering what we do for a living." He leaned into her a bit and seemed to relax a little. "We'll be okay, we're always okay, and I'd tell you not to worry so much but I know you will anyway." Arthur turned and looked at her before he smiled, leaned forward, and kissed her. Ariadne smiled against him as she moved her arms around his neck and pulled him in close. His hands were on her bare stomach when the sound of Arthur's phone made them both stop. He groaned before he moved away and answered it.

"Hello?" he said as he tried to straighten himself out. It still made her smile that she was able to break that calm he so desperately clung to all the time and that he was more than willing to let her get away with it. Arthur listened to whomever was on the other line for what felt like a long time before he said "Sounds good, we're on our way. Call you from the airport" and hung up.

"Who was that?" Ariadne asked.

"Eames, he wants in on this job and he's going to meet us in New York. The mark lives upstate a bit and he said 'Why would I want to learn upstate New York for one bloody job' and would rather wait for us," Arthur said and he hesitated. "Cobb will be waiting for us too."

"Cobb? Cobb is working again?" she asked completely flabbergasted.

"Eames said this is the second job he's done. Apparently he likes to get just a bit of a taste as a reminder of what that world is like," he explained. Ariadne was not entirely surprised; the dreamworld was addicting in its own way and she could understand that after so long having to stay away forever would be hard. That was an unspoken thing among anyone she had met in this business. Ariadne leaned against Arthur before she kissed his shoulder and stood. They began to pack up their things so they could get on the next flight to America. She was not entirely looking forward to making such a long trip in one sitting; she preferred to make her way east or west by stopping at cities for a day or two before heading to the next. Jobs, however, did not always give them time to do that.

Ariadne felt horribly jet lagged when they finally arrived in New York. She knew Arthur felt the same way, to an extent anyway, but was hiding it a lot better than she was. They walked through JFK, their arms filled with bags, and she hardly had the energy to smile when she saw Cobb and Eames waiting for them at the gate. Cobb pulled both of them into a hug as Eames looked them both over.

"Well I've certainly seen you two looking better than this," he said. Arthur glared and if Eames noticed he ignored it. "So are we going to head out now or are we going to give you two love birds some time to sleep?"

"Sleep, please," Ariadne insisted. Cobb nodded and the four of them walked out of the airport together. Cobb had a rental SUV, Eames made a comment about becoming a soccer mom which the extractor pointedly ignored, and the four of them went to a small hotel near the airport. They went to a small restaurant across the street and Ariadne had trouble keeping her eyes open. The double shot of espresso she ordered could not arrive fast enough.

"What do we know about this mark?" Cobb asked..

"James Harson, CEO of his cousin's cooperation that more than likely has been doing business illegally," Arthur replied and Ariadne hated him for how awake he sounded.

"Where do we fit into this?" Eames said.

"We are supposed to find out one way or another if he is doing business illegally. Our employer wants to know before he signs any contracts, " Arthur said before he yawned widely.

"Don't do that," Ariadne said before she could hide her own yawn.

"So if Harson is dealing illegally there is a good chance they could have dangerous friends," Cobb said and he seemed to think on that.

"If you want to go home we'd understand," Arthur said and she knew he was speaking for the three of them.

"We'll see. Let's get up to the town and see what we can find out. Harson works in the city during the week and then heads upstate for the weekend," Cobb said. "Today is Friday so we'll follow him up and go from there." They nodded and Ariadne barely remembered what she had for dinner before they went back to the hotel and she collapsed on the bed. Arthur lay down next to her and sighed heavily. He was tired but she also knew that he was not going to sleep well because of the risks of this job. She pulled him close and they lay together in silence for a long time but she knew that neither of them were asleep.

"We should really change," Arthur said and she chuckled. "What?"

"Worried about ruining one of your suits?" Ariadne asked and he turned to look at her.

"Why yes I am, do you have a problem with that?" he asked and she smiled.

"God forbid." Arthur moved so he was leaning over her and stared down at her. Ariadne touched his cheek gently before she ran her fingers through his hair. It seemed like he wanted to say something but he kept it to himself. Instead Arthur kissed her, long and deep, before he pulled away to change. She watched him do so before she moved to do the same. When all proper clothing was put away and they were in pajamas Ariadne fell asleep with Arthur's arms wrapped around her.

The next morning everyone met downstairs for breakfast. Arthur said he was going to get another car so they were not too limited in transportation and they ate eggs and coffee. Ariadne was glad when they got some time in the car to relax. Arthur let her look over what he had so far on James Harson. The car ride was quiet and they bounced ideas off of each other for the maze. She began to relax a little more with each moment that passed. They arrived in the suburbs and pulled into a small motel. Eames and Cobb also got out of their car and they began to unload their things as Arthur went inside to get them some rooms.

"We need to find a place to work," Cobb said as he looked around. "I have a feeling that might be a little hard considering where we are."

"These types of places creep me out," Eames said. "People don't seem to notice half of the things that go on here, they're so caught up in their own heads. Makes for an easy way for an amateur thief to get their start though."

"Not that you would know anything about that," Ariadne said and Eames grinned.

"Naturally." Arthur joined them a moment later and handed out three room keys.

"I'll start doing some research and see what I can find out about Harson. Let's just lay low for a while and see how things go from there," he said and everyone nodded. Arthur did not say anything before he walked away from the group. Ariadne was not surprised though; he always did his research alone. Instead she went with Cobb to a nearby coffee shop as Eames left to scout out the entire area. They sat in silence and she could feel his eyes watching her carefully.

"Just ask what you want to ask," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Ariadne asked because she knew exactly what he was referring to. The extractor stared at her.

"Because I couldn't let go, I'm not strong enough to let go, not entirely. So here I am and that's really all there is to it. One day you and Arthur are going to want to stop doing all of this and move on. And then one day you'll realize that you can't," Cobb replied and his voice was cryptic. She wanted to disagree and say that it was not true but as she thought about everything that had happened she was not entirely sure. Instead she said nothing as they sipped their coffee. Eames joined them several hours later and explained the layout of the area and where he could see places to hide out. Arthur arrived soon after and the four of them spent the rest of the day going to various different locations as if they were passing through although they were really looking for James Harson. After a brief dinner they all separated for the night and Ariadne settled into the bed with a sketchbook on her lap. Arthur was hunched over his laptop with his eyebrows creased deeply as he read.

"Arthur, you're going to get wrinkles if you keep that expression up," Ariadne said and grinned when he looked over his shoulder to roll his eyes at her. He closed his laptop and moved to the bed so they sat next to each other. Arthur rested his cheek on her shoulder as she sketched and she just loved that he seemed to relax around her even if it was just a little.

"I'm still worried about this job," he said.

"All jobs are risky in some way. I told you that we'll be fine and I mean it. I know you won't let anything happen to me and I can be quite intimidating if someone should try to hurt you," she said. Arthur moved so he could look at her and he seemed amused.

"Oh why yes you are quite scary," he deadpanned and Ariadne hit him in the shoulder with her sketchpad. "What was that for?"

"Sarcasm is not appreciated," she said as she tried to hold an annoyed expression before it faded into a smile. Arthur took the sketchpad from her hands and set it aside before he cupped her face with his hands and leaned in close.

"You're right; I will never let anything happen to you." His voice is low and intense and it made a lump form in Ariadne's throat. She swallowed it down and pressed her forehead to his. She did not say anything but she did wrap a hand around his tie and pull Arthur in for a kiss. Even after all of this time he still managed to take her breath away. She did not protest when she felt his hands on her waist or when he eased her onto her back. Ariadne ran her hands through his hair and pulled it into two fists when his fingers touched her bare back. Arthur shrugged off his jacket and she began to work on the buttons on his shirt. Ariadne lifted her back so he could pull off her shirt and she had trouble focusing on the buttons when he started to lay soft kisses along her neck and collarbone. She finally succeeded in removing his shirt and ran her hands along Arthur's chest. His hands undid the button of her jeans and Ariadne lifted her hips so he could pull them off. Her breath hitched when he began to kiss down her stomach and she knew he was purposely teasing her. She put her hands on his shoulders and roughly pulled Arthur back up to face her.

"Now, now, no teasing, that's not very nice," Ariadne said and he grinned.

"Noted," Arthur replied as he kicked off his pants and tossed her bra aside. They were pressed together but it still felt like they were not close enough. The last of their clothing was thrown aside and he slid inside her. Ariadne arched her back at the feeling of him inside her and kissed him full on the mouth. She reached her high and Arthur followed suit not long after. Breathless Ariadne curled up next to him underneath the covers and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Within those arms she felt safe, within his arms nothing could touch her.

"I heard a rumor that Harson is heading back to the city early," Arthur said the next morning as he sipped his coffee.

"What are you going to do about that?" Eames asked.

"I think I'll go keep an eye on him. He's breaking routine and I want to know why," Arthur replied. Cobb seemed to think it over.

"I agree. You of all people know that someone breaking routine usually indicates something changing," he said. Arthur narrowed his eyes but did not say anything.

"Sounds good then," Ariadne replied and she set her coffee aside. "The two of us will give chase."

"Wait, you can't-"

"You're not going alone; if you spend any more time researching alone you're going to start talking to yourself and the last thing I need is you developing another personality," she said and he stared at her before she grinned. "One of you is enough."

"Very funny," he grumbled as Eames and Cobb both chuckled. They finished their food before Arthur got his keys and the two of them climbed into the car. His bag was at her feet and Ariadne kept the music low as they started down the street after Haron's car but keeping a safe distance. They were driving down a fairly busy street when she decided to get something to eat while Harson got gas. Ariadne stretched and walked into the convenience store where she proceeded to spend ten dollars on pure junk food.

"You're going to get crumbs all over the car," Arthur chastised as she opened her bag of chips.

"It's not your car so something tells me you'll get over it," she said as she glanced out the window. A truck had pulled up behind them and was following them a bit too closely. Ariadne narrowed her eyes as another truck pulled up on the left but did not pass. Arthur looked like he was about to say something when both of the trucks swerved and he had to jerk the wheel to keep from hitting them. The truck behind them used the sudden shift to slam into the back of their car and the last thing Ariadne vaguely remembered was the feeling of the world spinning and pain.

She was not sure how long she was out but Ariadne opened her eyes slowly. Their car was smashed in all over and it looked like it had rolled a few times. Her right arm was throbbing and when she tried to move her fingers the pain was enough to take her breath away. Arthur was in the driver's seat, his eyes closed and blood slowly dripping from a deep cut on the side of his head. As she tried to blink away confusion she heard people talking nearby.

"This seems like a really messy way to do things," a man's voice said.

"No better way to make it look like an accident than to actually cause an accident," another said and her blood ran cold. Harson somehow had gotten wind of who they were and now was trying to take them out of the picture.

"They might be alive; let's make sure we finish the job," the first man said. There were footsteps and for a second Ariadne panicked. Using her good arm she fumbled in Arthur's bag and found the pistol he kept with him at all times. The footsteps were getting closer as she tried to remove the safety with her non-dominant hand. When it finally clicked off she held the gun tightly as two men came around and looked at her.

"You want to walk away right now," she warned and one of them laughed at her.

"Like you'll really use that, little girl," he said. Ariadne was not going to stand for this because Arthur was still unconscious. She fired a warning shot off to the side which made the two of them jump.

"Now," she repeated. Ariadne kept the gun pointed at both of them until the trucks started up and drove away, leaving her in the smashed car with Arthur. He groaned and she held her breath as he opened his eyes.

"Ariadne?" He sounded a bit disoriented but as soon as they made eye contact she knew he was completely awake. Without saying a word he kicked the door to the car open and raced around to pull hers open. "What happened? Are you all right?" he asked as he helped her out of the wreck.

"We must have been spotted on the way here and they were sent to make our deaths look like an accident. And I think my arm is broken," Ariadne said before she touched the wound on his head with her fingertips. "You're bleeding."

"It's just a bad cut. I'll be fine but we need to get you to a hospital," Arthur insisted before he pulled out his cell phone. "Cobb, head toward the city. Harson got wind of us and tried to kill us. We don't have a car and Ariadne needs a doctor." He hung up and put a hand on her cheek. "I knew we shouldn't have taken this job."

"This isn't your fault," Ariadne replied before she pulled off her scarf and pressed it to his head. "We both need a doctor."

"That's your dominant arm. I have to make sure it's set properly so there isn't any permanent damage. Eames can stitch me up later. You need a doctor," Arthur said and his voice was hard.

"Eames knows how to stitch people up?" she asked and he grinned.

"Does that honestly surprise you?" Ariadne thought on it for a moment before she shook her head. Arthur did not take his eyes off of her for a second and held her close until Cobb and Eames arrived to take them to a hospital. The doctors in the emergency room tried to separate them but Arthur insisted on staying nearby and she winced when he sat by her side as a nurse stitched the cut on his head. Ariadne could feel her entire body start to ache from the accident. They did an x-ray of her arm, the doctor looked it over, and before long it was wrapped in a cast. The thought of not being able to use her arm for so long was annoying. She glanced at Arthur who sat by her side. The bandage covered the wound on his head but bruises were starting to surface. His clothes had a fair bit of blood on them but he insisted that it looked much worse than it was because 'head wounds tended to bleed a lot.' "How are you feeling?"

"I told you, Arthur, I'm fine. It's just a broken arm. They're probably going to release me in a few hours," Ariadne replied but she began to notice just how pale he was. Arthur was not exactly tan but he was turning white right in front of her eyes and it seemed like his breathing was labored. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine; I'm more worried about you," he said as he reached forward and took her good hand. "I'm so sorry that this happened." His voice was barely a whisper and laced with so much guilt that it made her chest ache.

"Are you ever going to let the girl get some rest?" Eames asked from the door and she smiled when he and Cobb entered the room. As soon as they looked at Arthur the smiles faded. "Arthur, what's wrong? You look terrible."

"I've just been in a car accident that was caused with the intent to kill me; how am I supposed to look?" he asked as he glared at Eames but the forger did not make a comment back. Ariadne creased her eyebrows as she looked into his eyes. Something was wrong, she was sure of it, there was something behind them that she did not recognize. It was something different and it made her nervous just to see it.

"Maybe we should have a doctor take another look at you," Cobb said easily and Arthur just glared at both of them.

"I got her here and I'm not leaving," he insisted but there was a crack in his voice.

"Arthur, I'm-" Ariadne started but she cut herself off when he winced in pain and released her hand to clutch his stomach. "Arthur, what's wrong?" she asked but he did not say anything as he fell to his knees from the chair and seemed to tremble from the pain. "Get a doctor, now," she said but Cobb was already out the door. Ariadne tried to move but her cast and the IV in her arm made it nearly impossible. Eames knelt beside Arthur and touched his shoulder. The forger looked more worried than she had ever seen him when Arthur coughed up blood blood. She could see blood dripping from the corner of his mouth as he coughed again but this time much more violently.

"Someone get in here now!" Eames shouted as a doctor and few nurses rushed in. With the help of Eames they managed to get Arthur up and out of the room but not before Ariadne heard the phrase 'internal bleeding.' She struggled to get out of the bed to try and follow but Eames held her back.

"No, I have to go with him, I can't just let him leave," she said and her voice sounded frantic but the forger held her steady. He did not say anything; he just held her tight. It was almost an hour later before Cobb walked in. He looked a little pale and that just worried her even more. "What happened? Is he okay?" she asked.

"They took him in for emergency surgery. They said he must have hurt himself in the accident and just ignored all of the symptoms. They're not sure if he's going to make a full recovery," he said before he sat down. The next few hours passed in near silence as they waited for more information. In that time the doctors came and released her from the hospital but that only meant she moved from a room to the waiting room. When a doctor entered the room and walked toward them Ariadne was not sure if she was going to be able to stand let alone hear what he had to say.

"He's stable, for now, but his heart did stop during surgery. He's recovering right now but it's going to be a while before he's up and walking again," the doctor said. "You can go see him if you'd like." Ariadne wasted no time as she nearly pushed her way through people to get to his room. She stopped short when she entered; Arthur was sitting upright in bed with various lines in his arms and a line for oxygen on his face. He was not on a ventilator but he was so still that for a moment she thought he was not breathing. Ariadne rushed to his side and planned to stay there until he woke up. Eames and Cobb joined her and the three of them found chairs so they could sit and wait for him to wake up.

It was several hours later after Cobb and Eames had fallen asleep that his eyes finally opened very slowly. Ariadne took his hand and held on tight. Arthur turned and looked at her before giving her a small smile. Instead of smiling back Ariadne released his hand and smacked him upside the head fairly hard. He blinked and stared at her confused.

"What was that for?" he asked and she hit him again. "Ow, seriously, I just had surgery, why are you hitting me?"

"I have a broken arm, a _broken arm_, and you think that is more important than the searing pain in your stomach? What the hell is wrong with you, Arthur?" Ariadne raised her voice and chose to ignore the sounds of Eames and Cobb both stirring awake.

"So nice of you to join us," Eames grumbled as he stretched. "You're paying for the massage I need for sleeping in that bloody chair."

"But, I didn't-" Arthur stammered.

"What were you thinking, not having a doctor look at you?" Cobb chastised. "You of all people know that you don't just shrug off injuries."

"I just wanted-" he tried again.

"Oh give it a rest. Your knight in shinning armor complex is going to get you killed one of these days," the extractor said before he sighed heavily. "I need to go find out what your recovery time is going to be like." Cobb grumbled to himself as he walked out of the hospital room.

"I'm going to try and square things with our employer and make sure someone doesn't try to put one between your eyes while you're bedridden," Eames said before he rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Arthur looked like he was rendered completely speechless before Ariadne leaned in and kissed him lightly. It was awkward between the cast and trying to avoid his stomach. She broke their kiss and learned her forehead against his.

"You don't need to be my white knight," she whispered. "I don't need someone rushing in and saving me, I'm not helpless. What I need is for you to realize that you leaving would hurt more than anything anyone could do to me."

"Ariadne, I'm-" She put her finger to his lips and eased back so they were still close but she could look him in the eye.

"If you died because you were looking out for me I would never forgive myself. If you want to spare me pain, then don't do things that will leave me with that type of guilt." Ariadne removed her finger from his lips and put a hand on his cheek. "I love you too much for that." The words had been on the tip of her tongue for months but she just had not been able to say them. The timing had felt wrong or she had somehow doubted that the feelings were true. Now she was looking down at the person who had nearly gotten himself killed for her and they just seemed to come so easily. Arthur took her hand into his and gave her one of his half smiles.

"I love you too," he said and her heart soared. "I would never want to burden you like that. I just want you to be safe and happy." Ariadne laughed to herself and he looked at her with a confused expression. "What's so funny?"

"Arthur, you're so dense sometimes," she said and he still looked confused. "You're the one who makes me feel safe and happy." Arthur smiled before he pulled her forward into a soft and gentle kiss with so much feeling behind it that it nearly stole her breath away. Ariadne did not want to be rescued or saved and if that meant that she lost the knight in shinning armor she was okay with that. Ariadne knew that with Arthur by her side they could get through anything without needing any of that steel for protection. She had him, he had her, and that was protection enough.


End file.
